The scorpion and the frog

Wednesday, 1st February 2012

When the news was announced that the Government in its wisdom was to give unsecured Bond Holders of Anglo Irish over one Billion Euro of Taxpayer's money there was, understandably, quite an outcry about it. The Government was firm though and said that it had to repay the money. But surely we don't have to repay unsecured loans to such a huge extent came the reply. Especially when the news is full of stories about Government cutbacks and there are almost daily demonstrations from towns and villages from all over the country protesting such things as vital school and hospital services. The answer came back that the loans and this huge amount of money had to be paid. However the whole situation does remind you of the story of the Scorpion and the Frog. The Scorpion wanted to cross the river and asked the Frog if he could ride on his back. The frog replied that if allowed the scorpion on his back then the scorpion would surely sting him and he would die. But, replied the scorpion, if I did that then I would drown and die and I don't want to die. Assuaged by this reasoning the frog agreed to carry the scorpion on his back. When they were nearly to the other side the scorpion stung the frog. "But now we are both going to die" said the frog. " Ah, but you forget I'm a scorpion" said the scorpion. In this analogy it isn't hard to see who is the scorpion and who is the frog. What the Government is doing is effectively paying those who helped cause the economic collapse that has crippled this country. In such a bizarre exercise in doublethink we have to reward those who have caused so much damage and have wrecked so many lives. If evidence was needed of who this country is really run for the benefit for then this is surely this. The Government parties might try to make all the right noises but when it comes down to concrete actions then it really shows its hand with actions such as this. Many might argue that the Government has no choice, that to a large extent much of its policy platform was indeed handed to it from the previous Fianna Fail Government. While the personalities and the approach is certainly different both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail to a large extent are both right of center political parties and history aside there is very little to tell them apart. This of course is debatable and there will be many people who would be highly insulted to think that the highly derided Fianna Fail bares any relation to Fine Gael. But there is a certain shared mind set and certainly the belief in the dominance of market forces when it comes to economics. That Labour doesn't seem to be asserting itself is to a large extent to be expected. They have already entered into a programme for Government and are standing by their side of the bargain. But what of their remit, their core constituency and historical stance on limiting the abuses of free market capitalism. They say time and again, both parties, that they are doing what is best for the country. And after all we did vote them in, in massive numbers. But you still can't help but come back to the story of The Scorpion and The Frog. It seems like we are the frog but will get nothing for our reward but a giant, stinging pain. We have already seen how companies have come into Ireland and said all the right thing but as soon as it appears that it is more profitable to move to another part of the world then they will do so without a by your leave. We know this all too well here in Waterford. Companies are there to make profit for their shareholders but for some reason we here in this country seem to be labouring under the impression that they come here for the scenery and the craic. The come here because it makes good economic sense for them and when it makes good economic sense to leave and go elsewhere they will do so. It isn't an emotional investment, purely a rational, economic one. Why we kow tow to big business which just doesn't care is completely bewildering. Its time we stopped tugging the forelock and examine where our best interests really lie. Trying to make the markets happy is absurd and ludicrous, they don't care. Why should they? They've wrecked the country and now they're being paid for the privilege. Its time to stamp the scorpion underfoot.